artist
Mario Garcia was a sculptor and painter born in 1927 and active in the New York area. From 1945-1949 Garcia attended the École des Beaux Arts in Lausanne, Switzerland. From 1950 1959 Garcia lived in a red barn in the Hamptons, Long Island that belonged to Barney Rossett, the husband of the artist Joan Mitchell. As a result of their close proximity Garcia became intimately acquainted with Abstract Expressionism through Mitchell and thus became a part of what is referred to as the "second generation" or "second wave" of Abstract Expressionist artists along with Grace Hartigan, Michael Goldberg, and Al Leslie - all of whom more or less built on the work of the master Willem de Kooning. Precious little else is known about the life of Mario Garcia.
Description
The second generation of Abstract Expressionists produced works that contained imagery which approached reality, as in Untitled, 1959, which was painted during Garcia’s stay in eastern Long Island. Although this work at first glance may appear purely abstract, the canvas in fact more landscape in feeling.